2013 Official Chaz Weight Loss Challenge

FG167

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This is great news. You've found an exercise program that you love and look forward to. If exercise is something you dread or don't enjoy, you won't do it. Congratulations!



Barring some injury or other issue, it's possible that your shoes simply don't fit right. I have plantar fasciitis and when I wear ill fitting shoes it's greatly exasperated. The good news is that it's treatable. I do a bunch of stretches daily and keep a frozen water bottle around so I can ice it after a workout. The pain can be debilitating, but I've gotten to the point over the last month or so where it's mostly just annoying.
I know, I am at least as excited about finding something I enjoy so much, as I am about actually working out/losing weight/gaining muscle! :D

These particular shoes I had fitted at a good shoe store. They fit great, they feel really nice for day to day stuff. After months of running regularly (not now, but before), I believe my feet do the best in zero drop shoes. My VFF are awesome. I also bought Altras for running longer distances on pavement. I wore the Altras to CrossFit yesterday and LOVED THEM. OMG, I forgot about my feet entirely and just focused on my workout! The frozen water bottle thing is genius, will have to try it!

I lift in minimalist shoes! I know some people even lift in KSOs and the like. Go for it. Especially since CrossFit involves movement too, not just lifting, I think you'll be more than fine in the minimals.
My VFF are so smelly! I don't normally have smelly feet but the VFF and my Keen sandals are just rank. My other barefoot shoes are fine. I am so glad I went in my minimalist shoes yesterday - my feet were on clouds! Even with the pain in the sole still lingering, it wasn't noticeable when I had the shoes on. Zero drop shoes are the best things ever invented! I'm obsessed! I'm trying to find appropriate work shoes with zero drop :)
 

Beanie

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Did you take classes for this stuff? Or just really enjoy it? You have an insane amount of knowledge.
It's something I've gotten really passionate about over the past few years, so I read a lot. I have textbooks that I find at the local library's used bookstore (only $1!) and I pick them up and use them as reference. I found one not too long ago that is a whole book of strength training exercises, and it has great drawings in it that show all the muscles being used in each movement.

I do want to go back to school and get my degree in sports management or kinesiology or something - the community college actually has a program where you get an associates in sports management and also get personal trainer certified at the same time - but I can't really afford it. I filled out a FAFSA and they were like "Congrats! You qualify for financial aid, and by financial aid we mean you can get a loan! Yaaaaay!" Er. Great.

I wish I had known years ago that I would find sports and fitness to be an enjoyable thing and it would have been a worthwhile career pursuit, but if you told 18-year-old me "Hey did you know that when you're 25 you're going to like running? For fun? And you'll be running half-marathons? That's 13 miles you know. And then you'll be planning to run a FULL marathon when you're 30. 26 miles. FOR FUN." I never would have bought it.
 

Beanie

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I just couldn't do it guys. I even told my friend I was planning on entering the 10K because I'm doing the full in 2015. I figured if I told people I was doing the 10K I would hold to it. I had my credit card details entered and everything. Ready to click the submit button. And I just couldn't do it.

I started over and this time I picked the Half Marathon.

I smiled when I clicked "Half Marathon."

I made the right choice.
 

Sekah

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I just couldn't do it guys. I even told my friend I was planning on entering the 10K because I'm doing the full in 2015. I figured if I told people I was doing the 10K I would hold to it. I had my credit card details entered and everything. Ready to click the submit button. And I just couldn't do it.

I started over and this time I picked the Half Marathon.

I smiled when I clicked "Half Marathon."

I made the right choice.
That's so awesome. :)

I've not participated in this thread until now, but I want to hop on the bandwagon. Hope you don't mind!

Basically, I want to shape the heck up for my mood and my health. I've never been an active person, but age and crappy habits are catching up with me. I turn 30 in a few months, I'm 5'7", I probably weigh around 135 pounds (heaviest I've ever been) and work an office job. I've never found much joy in physical exercise, but a few years back I discovered rock climbing. I loooved it. Did it with friends and my husband. Then, I moved and no longer live close to a gym, or my friends who climbed. My husband suffered a chronic injury from climbing and he's not able to go back to it like he did. He's working 12 hour days which leave him emotionally and physically exhausted. And I've always been the type of person who's just along for the ride -- not really one to beat my own path. Anyways, I remember feeling amazing when I climbed (not to mention buff) and I want to get back to it. Or at least, be active.

I've just started C25K. I tried to start running last month, but apparently weekend warriored it and spent the next several weeks recovering from some sort of knee injury. I'm going to try to take it a bit more slowly now. Cohen is a great running buddy, so incorporating my run into her walks is a good way to get me out the door.

I'm trying to watch what I eat, but I've got a deeply entrenched love of pasta (and beer). I'm hoping to scratch the cash together to join the nearby gym, but in the mean time I've taken up disc with my husband (when he can manage it). I'm already feeling a bit better, but my enthusiasm comes in spurts. So that's hopefully where this thread will come in. I need a bit of hand holding to ease my way into fitness, as well as some motivation to keep on track.

My end goal is to a) improve my mood, b) drop 15 pounds and c) not get winded while running an agility course.

So... that's it. Hi!
 

Julee

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Down 7lbs in 8 days.

Little faster than it usually is, but it was a really large diet overhaul. I've been eating plenty, and doing 80/20. Working well, no cravings!

Feeling good!
 

eddieq

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Down 7lbs in 8 days.

Little faster than it usually is, but it was a really large diet overhaul. I've been eating plenty, and doing 80/20. Working well, no cravings!

Feeling good!
This is great work, Julee. Don't get discouraged when you find that a pound a day is atypical. When it slows down to a pound a week (sometimes less), it's easy to "call it quits". Keep up the great, GREAT work!

I've been trying to step up my running. I'm finding how much I really do enjoy a good hard run, especially when stuff is bugging me. I can get out there and just sweat away my stress. I was at a local (well, 30 minutes away local) running store yesterday getting shoes for my daughter (she's not running - just a really tough fit). They are offering weekly "Yoga for runners" classes and it includes a run before the class. They meet Wednesday nights, so I'm going to head out there tomorrow ready to go.

I also started using "Mapmyrun.com" and its iPhone app to track my actual runs so I can just go and not do a predefined route. It will tell me how far I went. I did have an app issue last night. I think it was a GPS sync issue with bad weather and such. It had me zig-zagging all over the place and with that "added" distance, my first mile was short. I should have known when the app announced a 6:04 pace after the first mile. It turns out that it added like 1/3 mile to my route with the wonky tracking. The site lets me edit the route, though, so I got a better indication of my run after that. I'll have to do that route again, but take a couple of longer turns to get the distance up.

[/ramble] :D
 

umterps97

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I just did my first 10 Minute Trainer workout. I think I'm really going to like it. I've never been able to work all day, take Maya for a walk, work out, and be finished before 7 pm!

Thanks Eddie! I never would have tried this if it hadn't been for your success story! :hail:
 

Julee

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This is great work, Julee. Don't get discouraged when you find that a pound a day is atypical. When it slows down to a pound a week (sometimes less), it's easy to "call it quits". Keep up the great, GREAT work!
Oh, trust me, I know! I was extremely surprised.
 

eddieq

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I just did my first 10 Minute Trainer workout. I think I'm really going to like it. I've never been able to work all day, take Maya for a walk, work out, and be finished before 7 pm!

Thanks Eddie! I never would have tried this if it hadn't been for your success story! :hail:
You're very welcome. Best of luck with it!
 

eddieq

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Did my group run tonight. Started hanging back in the middle of the group, but it simply wasn't fast enough for me. I kept feeling like I was running up their legs. I let myself just roll into a comfortable pace then caught up with the front group for the last 2 miles. Much better.

The yoga class was great. Good stretching, some moves I hadn't ever done before and some strength stuff that brought to my attention some weakness I can work on.

So, it was a good day, tater :)
 

Julee

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Still eating really well and did *5x* 20sec planks, plus some jump roping. Rick is teaching me to squat. Woohoo!
 
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~Dixie's_Mom~

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I can't remember if I posted here before that I started doing cross fit, but I started a while back and have only really been able to do sporadic sessions here and there for different reasons. It sucks. It's so hard. Well I just worked out tonight and OMG. I feel like crying. Not because it sucked or because I'm sore but because I feel like I can do anything. I'm so proud of myself. Like...I don't think I've ever felt like this. I feel like I wanna go back and do more. Like, I'm actually good at it. I lifted 145lbs (dead lifts). My whole body was shaking but I did it and I did it with perfect form. My trainer said I have better form than he does and as I get in better shape I'm going to totally blow him out of the water strength wise. I can't believe I feel like this, but I seriously love it. Like, I don't want to give up. And I'm surprised.
 

Beanie

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I can't remember if I posted here before that I started doing cross fit, but I started a while back and have only really been able to do sporadic sessions here and there for different reasons. It sucks. It's so hard. Well I just worked out tonight and OMG. I feel like crying. Not because it sucked or because I'm sore but because I feel like I can do anything. I'm so proud of myself. Like...I don't think I've ever felt like this. I feel like I wanna go back and do more. Like, I'm actually good at it. I lifted 145lbs (dead lifts). My whole body was shaking but I did it and I did it with perfect form. My trainer said I have better form than he does and as I get in better shape I'm going to totally blow him out of the water strength wise. I can't believe I feel like this, but I seriously love it. Like, I don't want to give up. And I'm surprised.

BEAST MODE!!! I love it! Get it girl!
 

eddieq

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Was in my own "beast mode" tonight. Went 4.43 miles according to the mapmyrun app. That's almost a mile farther than my farthest run since I restarted (and that farthest run was last night). So the last two nights, I went right around 8 miles total, where I've been doing about 2.2/2.3 per night. I wanted to do more, also.

Did tonight's run in 38:45. That's under a 9 minute mile pace (around 8:45 per mile). Not too shabby for an old man.
 

PlottMom

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I ran a mile tonight. No stopping, no looking at the time or the distance.

I realize that's not really a huge deal but I honestly can't remember the last time I actually ran a whole mile without stopping lol
 

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